Virtual storefronts created for electronic commerce (e-commerce) are often static webpages that show products without much information about the products. In many cases the merchants that are selling the products have a vision for the products that they offer that may be lost in the static webpage. As a result, would-be buyers visiting the virtual storefront may not appreciate the uniqueness of the products on display, and not be drawn into the storefront, possibly navigating away to a different storefront.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for providing an interactive shopping experience that allows merchants to create dynamic storefronts that engage the would-be buyers by telling stories about the products being offered and allow the users to interact with the products on display.
When buying a product from an online merchant, one of the pastimes that occupies the buyer is tracking the package online. Conventional websites provided by UPS, FedEx, and the USPS provide relevant information, such as where the package currently is and when the package is scheduled to arrive. However, the buyer must actively log in to the website to see this relevant information. Moreover, the information is relatively static and uninteresting. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for providing shipping updates that may be sent directly to the buyer and may be personalized based on factors such as the location, weather, and time of day relative to the package.
Although buyers and sellers are increasingly conducting transactions online, a majority of products are still sold locally. This means that a buyer must be at the physical location of the seller and provide traditional means of payment to the seller to complete the transaction. However, as more buyers and sellers adopt online financial accounts provided by payment service processors, such as PayPal of San Jose, Calif., the ability to use the online account to pay for transactions may be important when making purchasing decisions. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for processing a payment using an online escrow account.
Searching for products online is often a tedious process that involves sifting through pages of results to find the results that matter. In many cases, the search results are inaccurate and may not provide the searcher with the products that they are ultimately interested in. Moreover, there are times when the searcher knows what a product looks like, but not the name, and wants to search for the product or products that are similar looking. Trying to perform a text search based on descriptors is even more frustrating and will often produce unsatisfactory results to a searcher. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for searching for a product that produces results tailored to a searcher based on known information about the user as well as allowing searching for products by image recognition.
For many people shopping at a local mall is a fun and social activity. However, the shopping experience has not changed much over the last thirty years or so. With the increase in use of mobile devices having internet connectivity, shoppers use the mobile devices to research shopping options and decisions, as well as interact socially by blogging and tweeting about their purchases, sales, and updating their status to tell their friends which stores they are at. However, this does not do much for the retailer, as the retailer does not stand to gain much from the user's online participation while shopping. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for an interactive shopping game that promotes long-term user engagement, retailer loyalty, and repeat business.
People often have more products lying around their garage, attic, or other places, than they generally know what to do with. In many cases, these products may provide sources of revenue. However, manually cataloguing these products and researching potential selling prices takes a lot of time and may put people off from attempting it. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for creating and managing an inventory of products.
One of the most daunting tasks in buying a product is finding enough information about the product in order to make an informed decision on whether or not to buy the product. Would-be buyers often have to scour the internet to find reviews, availability, pricing, and advice regarding the product. Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that provide users with all of the information they need to make informed decisions about products of interest.
User interfaces for online shopping websites have not changed much since their introduction. User interfaces may often be centered around a search bar, or tabs for particular categories of products. However, these minimalistic interfaces do not provide much information to the user, nor do they offer any incentives for the user to visit the website unless they are currently shopping for a particular product. Online shopping websites, however, currently are able to capture and receive substantial information about the users as they shop on their site. By using this information, the online shopping websites could better tailor the shopping experience to meet the perceived needs and wants of the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a personalized interface for online shopping that effectively presents a user with the products that they are interested in, likely to be interested in, as well as social information that may be of interest to a user based on the products that they are interested in.